Household furniture is known from prehistory, as is furniture scaled to size for children. Modern furniture, including furniture for children, includes pieces which may be assembled and disassembled for convenience. Examples of the latter include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,570,418 to Gooding; 3,467,433 to Lindau et al.; 4,140,065 to Chacon; 3,527,497 to Self; and 1,453,241 to Duffield.
Among these, the Gooding patent discloses tables assembled from a plurality of planar side pieces and horizontal pieces which have tab extensions for mating slots in the side pieces. The assembly is held together by elongated rail members which are threaded at their ends for reception in relatively large knobs, also threaded. The rods also serve to support the horizontal pieces. The Gooding patent does not disclose the incorporation of any foldable or bendable elements; it is noted that the threaded rod and knobs may be difficult for young or handicapped persons to either physically grasp and tighten adequately, or to cognitively grasp the concept of joining by relative rotation to fasten.
Similarly, the other aforementioned patents all disclose the concept of tabbed central pieces mating with slots in side pieces to form disassemblable furniture The Lindau et al. patent discloses "wringing fit pins" as the mechanism for securing the side and central pieces together; in the Chacon patent tapered wedges are force fit into additional slots in the tabs outside the joined side pieces; overhanging lips and pins both are used in the Self patent to secure the elements together; and offset tongue elements are disclosed in the Duffield patent. These offset tongues are not intended to permit substantial flexing. The concept of assembly with "wringing fit pins" of Lindau et al. or wedges, offset tongues and the like is difficult for younger children to recognize; force fitting the "wringing fit pins" and wedges, and likely also the offset tongues is usually beyond the strength of children and perhaps even some adults. The necessary motor skills for aligning a multiplicity of hooked tab members or offset tongues, as in the Chacon, Self and Duffield disclosures, are simply not available to most younger children, as well as provide difficulty for many adults.
The offset tongue elements of the Duffield patent place portions of the central furniture pieces or elements in parallel with and adjacent the vertical side pieces; however, the offset tongues are neither readily foldable by children nor are they adapted for folding, especially by lesser-skilled hands with lower strength. The only fastener mechanism revealed in these disclosures are threaded rods and knobs; fasteners which are easily fixed in place by children are known from U.S. Pat. No. 1,996,722 to Gilbert et al. The fasteners of the latter patent are flanged with expansible resilient projections for insertion in apertures in beams and girders. These fasteners are not contemplated for use with furniture.
None of these disclosures reveal central portion materials which are easily bent or folded by children, yet strong enough to support the weight of a child or accept the misuse frequent among children. None are specially adapted for ready cognition by children of the assembly process.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that there exists in this old and crowded art a need for furniture which is easily assembled and disassembled by children or younger people, and which assembly is also both easily conceptualized and within the motor skills and strength levels of the youthful assemblers.